April 14, 2026
The Trine University Music Program will present a duo of concerts over the weekend of April 18 and 19.
The Chamber Orchestra will perform Saturday, April 18 and the Big Band and Jazz Combo on Sunday, April 19. Both concerts begin at 3 p.m.
The concerts are free and will be held at the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts in the Ryan Concert Hall. Parking is also free.
Chamber Orchestra
The Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Brad Jopek, DMA, will perform music with the theme “That’s So Suite!” Each selection focuses on synonyms of the word “sweet” or “suite.”
“While considering a theme for this year’s concert, I decided to focus on a mixture of standard and lighter orchestral repertoire which focused on various reactions to the word ‘sweet,’ ” said Jopek. “A poem can be sweet when written by someone who is in love, or a sound can be sweet such as a melody in a hymn like ‘Amazing Grace.’ A second kind of ‘suite’ is a collection of pieces from an opera or collection of smaller pieces by a single composer. Regardless, we hope our audience will be inspired by the various kinds of sweetness we will bring through music!”
Selections include “Les Preludes,” a symphonic poem by Franz Liszt; a suite of three short piano pieces from “30 Pieces for Children” by Dmitri Kabalevsky; “How Sweet the Sound,” arranged by Jack Bullock; a second suite from George Bizet’s “Carmen”; the first movement from Symphony No. 1 by Joseph Bologne; and “A Can-Can Festival” by Jacques Offenbach and arranged by Tod Parrish.
Also featured during the concert will be a tennis match with Gwyneth Walker’s “Match Point.” Come see who will win: the musicians or the conductor!
Trine University Chamber Orchestra members are as follows:
Flute: Abigail Schrock, a civil engineering major from Goshen, Indiana; Holly Laney, a chemical engineering major from Butler, Indiana; and Allison Long, a social studies education major from Goshen, Indiana.
Clarinet: Andrea Mendoza, a biomedical engineering major from LaGrange, Indiana; and Alyssa Jones, a psychology major from Angola, Indiana.
Bass clarinet: Aubrey Krontz, a nursing major from Angola, Indiana.
Bassoon: Emmett Worman, a civil engineering major from Fishers, Indiana.
Horn: Dolan Bush, a biology major from Fishers, Indiana; Ella Penndorf, a forensic science major from South Lyon, Michigan; Olivia Ward, a computer engineering major from Alexandria, Indiana; and community members Jessica Jopek and Stephen Kays.
Trumpet: Nick Treat, a community member.
Trombones: Reid Deneve, a biology major from Claypool, Indiana; TJ Marsalek, a biology major from Toledo, Ohio; and Ryan Sederstrom, an electrical engineering major from Cedar Lake, Indiana.
Tuba: Ryan Sederstrom.
Violin: Katelyn Brott, a math education major from Sturgis, Michigan; Allayna Gue, an elementary education major from Portage, Indiana; Sudeep Iyer, a chemical engineering major from Indiana; Landon Murdock, a mechanical engineering major from Fort Wayne, Indiana; James Miller, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and community members Megan Knowlton and Jonathan Rupp.
Viola: Micaela Downs, a biology major from Westport, Indiana; Makena Kretz, a forensic science major from Portage, Indiana; and community member Tom Adamson.
Cello: Hannah Slagle, a biology major from Powell, Ohio; Lennox Toney, a design engineering technology major from Norton Shores, Michigan; and community members Rebecca Rupp and Richard Rupp.
Percussion: Aubrey Krontz, Micaela Downs and Makena Kretz.
Big Band and Jazz Combos
The Big Band and Jazz Combos are under the direction of Prof. Brian Derek. Members are:
Trumpet: Isaac Braun, a chemical engineering major from Portland, Indiana; and Jamie Wallace, a management major from Mentone, Indiana.
Trombone: Ryan Sederstrom and Luke Weintz, a civil engineering major from Fairfield, Ohio.
Alto saxophone: Lydia Keiter, a biomedical engineering major from Kokomo, Indiana; and Ty Pearce, a biomedical engineering major from Columbia City, Indiana.
Tenor saxophone: Zach Browning, a design engineering technology major from Frankton, Indiana; and Evan Hunter, a business administration major from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Baritone saxophone: Cody Hunter, a sport management major from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Percussion: Kyle Smith, a design engineering technology major from Dundee, Michigan; and Nolan Staniszewski, a chemical engineering major from Sawyer, Michigan.
Bass Guitar: Prof. Derek.
Piano: Nathan Goossen, a 2025 mechatronics and robotics engineering graduate.
Mitch Daniels, former governor of the state of Indiana and former president of Purdue University, shared advice with graduates he said were entering a world he described as “the most promising and most uncertain and treacherous” as Trine University held Commencement ceremonies on May 2.
Trine University’s annual Trine Day, a celebration of the university as well as an opportunity to support its mission, set records for number of donors and funds raised, bringing in more than $160,000 for scholarships, academic and athletic needs, and student organizations.
Trine University students learned about opportunities available with the Purdue Data Mine during a special presentation on April 10 in the Mark and Sarah Music/Ruoff Mortgage Esports Arena.